Pineapple Upside Down Cake

 

This is a bit of a 'retro' cake - I remember pineapple upside down cake from when I was really little, and I  haven't really seen it around much since. I don't know why - it's light and fruity, perfect for pudding after a heavy meal, and it makes a fun centre piece on a dessert table at parties. Plus it's fun to make!

Ingredients:
For the topping:
1.7oz unsalted butter, melted
1.7oz caster sugar
7 canned pineapple rings
7 glacier cherries

For the sponge:
8oz unsalted butter
7oz caster sugar
3 eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
3tbsp pineapple juice from the can
8oz self raising flour

Pre-heat your oven to 180c and get a loose bottomed cake tin out ready.

First, make the topping by combining the melted butter and caster sugar in a small bowl. Mix to a runny paste and pour this into your tin. Use a pastry brush to brush the paste all over the base and up the sides of the tin.
Place your pineapple rings in the base of the cake as in the picture. Put a glacier cherry into the middle of each ring and set aside.

To make the sponge, cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the eggs, vanilla and pineapple juice to the bowl and give it a good mix before sifting in the flour.
Carefully fold the flour into the mixture until it's well combined.

Carefully pour the sponge mix over the fruit in the base of the tin. Use the back of a spoon to carefully spread it up to the edges, keeping the top as level as possible.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out, upside down, onto your serving plate. Enjoy hot or cold - try drizzling over a little golden syrup while it's still warm if you like things sweet and sticky.